Illustration
Western Serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia
Also called pacific serviceberry, saskatoon serviceberry and western shadbush
Western Serviceberry blooms from April through April.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Western Serviceberry
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 2–9. Expect it to reach about 18 ft tall and 8 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 10 years (a house reading).
Pets
- Not yet checked for pets.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Western Serviceberry
Plant Western Serviceberry in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 2 to 9, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms in April.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Western Serviceberry get?
18 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult8 ftwideSee Western Serviceberry in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Western Serviceberry
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Western Serviceberry about 8 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Western Serviceberry to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Western Serviceberry's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on October 21, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- nvknurseries.comNVK Nurseriesheight, spread, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societysun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight and bloom months and color
- navigate.botanicgardens.orgDenver Botanic Gardenshardiness zones and bloom months and color
- extension-store.montana.eduMontana State University Extensionsun and water
- University of Minnesota Extensionheight and spread
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Where it grows wild
Native to 16 states and 7 provinces
United States: Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and 4 more
Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Yukon
Recorded growing wild in 397 counties.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
Good to know about Western Serviceberry
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
The berries are edible, but the seeds, leaves and wood hold cyanogenic glycosides and can poison browsing livestock; the fruit itself is safe for people and birds. per PubMed Central and ASPCA
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.